The Gulf Crisis and the Spiral in Anti-Qatar’s Hypocrisy

Although some experts say there was bound to be a head on collision within the Gulf States sometime in the not too distant future, the speed in which the recent diplomatic crisis unfolded has caught many off guard. It began on June 05 when Saudi Arabia, with the backing of Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE, abruptly severed diplomatic ties with Qatar accusing it of sponsoring terrorism and destabilizing the Gulf region. Although the Gulf States have in the past frequently found themselves at odds for one reason or another, it was clear from the get go that the recent crisis was no ordinary spat amongst cousins.

Qatar, which over the past several years worked so hard to solidify itself as a regional peacemaker and a diplomatic channel for disenfranchised states such as Eritrea, has all of a sudden seen its hard work trashed in a matter of hours. Everything, from allegations of supporting Israel and Iran, to accusations of funding terrorist organizations, has seen Doha scramble to defend its reputation. It happened fast, so fast that Qatari officials who retired for the night as honored dignitaries on June 04 woke up the next morning and found themselves surrounded by their once friendly neighbors turned snarling wolves gnashing their teeth at them.

Not as spontaneous as it looks

For those who closely follow political events in the Gulf States, it is quite evident that this was no spontaneous outbreak of rage.

First, let’s dissect the official explanation given by Riyadh. Qatar’s alleged funding for “terrorist organizations.” This long standing allegation has stirred up strife and civil war in several conflict hotspots, meriting the globe’s condemnation against Qatar for the sake of the peace seeking people of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. With most mainstream media outlets hesitating to go into detail with what is referred to as “terrorism,” the Saudis seem successful in dominating the narrative that Qatar is the main financial backer of what is arguably the most influential terrorist group, Daesh (aka ISIS).